Thursday, January 24, 2019

Choose Kindness

"When you lend a hand, you open a way for your heart to touch the heart of everything. This is a wealth that only grows. While those we help may leave or die or simply grow into their own beauty and be loved by others, the closeness uncovered by kindness turns to light in the body, until the closeness generated by kindness makes a lamp of the heart." ~ by Mark Nepo, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen

I love the last line of that quote, "...until the closeness generated by kindness makes a lamp of the heart." This is a profound reflection of what is true about relationships and how the Divine can work within and without to create peace and harmony. We see examples of this in nature. It's less evident in daily news reports about the current state of human interaction but I am motivated to keep my eyes and heart open for examples of kindness in unexpected places each and every day. What I have discovered is that I am surrounded by good, kind people in the communities I interact with and I am hopeful for the future. We never know what we are learning in the midst of giving or receiving kindness but when we step back and reflect, we are changed. 

Throughout my life I have been blessed to be the recipient of great generosity from others. Nurturing the friendships that I have developed over my lifetime has provided so many blessings! Long ago I recognized that tending and nurturing relationships with those who also value kindness resulted in trusted friends who I can process and grow with. There are times to give and times to receive. Reciprocity allows for mutual expansion and the key is an open heart and a willingness to take risks with another person.

I choose to continue opening my heart to the goodness of humanity. I choose to give kindness freely and receive it equally! I choose to experience joy and love and laughter with people I cherish. I count myself lucky to have so many kind and loving friends who value my presence and whose presence I am continually enriched by. Each friend is a unique flower in my garden for that I am eternally grateful!

May each of us find others to open our hearts to "until the closeness generated by kindness makes a lamp of the heart".

Blessings ~ Gretchen

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